Evidence-Informed Policymaking in Germany and Beyond

Course overview 

Around the world, demand for more evidence-based decision-making is increasing. Yet, despite the awareness of the need to design social policies and programs based on rigorous scientific evidence, in practice the use of evidence and the implementation of rigorous impact evaluations (RIE) still faces many challenges. In German development cooperation, despite growth in recent years, only a small portion of the overall ODA budget is evaluated using RIEs; and their use is not common in German domestic policymaking.

Against this background, this event, hosted by briq and J-PAL Europe, will bring together German domestic policymakers, implementers, and actors of the German development cooperation to discuss and learn about evidence use and rigorous impact evaluation. Together we would like to work towards more evidence-informed programming and policymaking in Germany and beyond. 

The event will span four days and be comprised of a high-level forum with speaker presentations and an Evaluating Social Programs course. Participation in both the high-level forum and the training is free of charge. Cost for transport and accommodation (if any) are borne by the participants.

For the training, the number of spaces is limited in order to allow for interactive sessions. Participants may apply to attend the training and will be notified if they are selected to attend no later than May 20. Training participants are very welcome to attend the high-level forum on Day 1 as well. 

Applications will close on May 15. 

Please contact Katharina Kaeppel at [email protected] with questions about applying or details about the event.

Register for the forum >>

Agenda 

High-level forum

The first day of the event will be a high-level forum with speakers from both the domestic policy space and the German development cooperation. Speakers will share insights on the use of evidence and RIE in their respective fields. We will then have the pleasure of welcoming Nobel prize laureate Abhijit Banerjee for his keynote speech, followed by a panel discussion on the future of evidence-informed policymaking in Germany and beyond. Register now >>

View the agenda for the high-level forum here >>

Evaluating Social Programs course

On the second through fourth days of the event, interested participants can attend a version of J-PAL’s flagship course “Evaluating Social Programs.” The training will give participants a thorough understanding of randomised evaluations and how they are designed in real-world settings. Participants will engage with coursework designed to help them apply learning at their home organisations through real-world examples and practice exercises. Apply now >>

If you have problems or questions about applying, please contact Katharina Kaeppel at [email protected]. 

View a sample agenda for the course here >>

Speakers

Abhijit Banerjee
Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 
2019 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economic Science

Andreas Löschel 
Professor of Environmental/Resource Economics and Sustainability, Ruhr University Bochum

Anna Schrimpf
Executive Director, J-PAL Europe

Ariane Hildebrandt
Director General for Policy issues; data and effectiveness, BMZ

Armin Falk
Chief Executive Officer, briq 
Professor of Economics, University of Bonn 

Jochen Kluve
Head of the Evaluation Unit, KfW Development Bank
Professor of Economics, Humboldt University Berlin

Marion Krämer
Team leader, DEval

Markus Steinich
GIZ

Martin Bruder
Head of Department, DEval

Sabrina Artinger
Head of Division 612 Citizen-Centred-Government, Federal Chancellery

Additional speakers to be announced.

Lecturers

Ilf Bencheikh
Director of Training, Finance, and Operations, J-PAL Europe

Markus Frölich
Managing Director, C4ED
Professor of Economics, Mannheim University

Michela Carlana
Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Note on implementation under Covid-19 (as of June 14)

For the protection of all involved, the workshop will be conducted under strict precautionary measures.

Please note that in order to attend this workshop in person, you must be fully vaccinated, meaning that you must have received the maximum number of booster vaccinations available in your country at the time of the event (as of the end of June 2022, this should be a minimum of three vaccinations, including one booster).

High-level forum, Day1

Mask-wearing is required during the entire event in the lecture hall. In addition, we recommend taking a rapid antigen test within 24 hours before the event. 

Evaluating Social Programs course, Days 2-4

You will be required to provide a certificate of a negative rapid antigen test that is no more than 24 hours old (see test stations in Bonn). For additional safety, mask-wearing indoors is required at all times except while seated.